The present invention generally relates to a deck protection system and has particular utility as a device to protect the underside of a deck from accumulation of moisture and to channel water away from a deck to keep the area underneath the deck dry.
Conventional decks are known. Wooden decks are typically constructed using a series of parallel joists that support a plurality of wooden planks or boards. The planks are placed side by side, typically about one-eighth of an inch (xe2x85x9xe2x80x3) apart, and are placed perpendicular to and on top of the joists. Sometimes the planks may be placed at an acute angle to the joists. In all of these cases, the joists support the planks and provide the main structure of the deck. The planks may be fastened to the joists via screws, nails, or other connection devices. These decks are often placed adjacent to a building, such as a house, to provide an elevated area above the ground that is easily accessible by the homeowners. When placed next to a building, the deck may also be fastened to a wall of the building for additional support.
One problem with conventional decks is that water, such as rainwater, will leak through the gaps between the planks, causing the water to fall in the area below the deck. This will eventually lead to rotting due to accumulation of moisture on the underside of the deck. The lifespan of a conventional deck is usually limited by rotting of its component wood, which is accelerated by moisture that accumulates on the underside of the deck. The underside of the deck includes the areas of the deck materials (e.g., planks and support structures) that are not visible from above the deck, such as the underside of the planks and the side of the joist facing the interior of the deck. This problem exists because moisture on the inside of a deck will not dry quickly as it is not exposed to sunlight, winds, etc., as is the outer surface of a deck.
Recently, more and more buildings, particularly houses, are being constructed with multiple decks. The multiple decks are often placed above each other. The leaking problem described above is exacerbated when there is another deck below the first deck, because the water will fall onto the lower deck. In that situation, the lower deck area cannot function as usable living space during or shortly after a rainstorm as water will leak onto the lower deck. After a snowstorm, the problem can be even worse, since water will leak through for days as the accumulated snow on an upper deck slowly melts.
The current state of the art to deal with these problems is a metal attachment that is placed underneath the deck, as constructed by companies such as Dry-B-Lo (http://www.dry-b-lo.com). In this solution, a repeating series of metal curvilinear sections are attached to the underside of the joists to catch water dripping between the cracks in the deck, where the metal curvilinear sections hang well below the underside of the joists. A gutter system is attached on one end of the metal curvilinear sections to channel the water collected within the sections. This system is expensive, difficult and time-consuming to install. Often, a certified installer must install this system. Moreover, such an attachment hanging below the deck is aesthetically unpleasant. In addition, while it does prevent water from dripping directly below the deck, it does not prevent the accumulation of moisture on the inside of the deck, and therefore may encourage rotting because it hinders air flow.
Various embodiments of the present invention provide deck protection systems. One embodiment includes a deck protection component to be installed between joists in a deck structure, where the deck structure includes a plurality of parallel joists and a plurality of planks placed on top of the joists. The deck protection component comprises a body having a trough section, a deep region, a shallow region, and opposing side edges. In one embodiment, the trough section is concave and the deck protection component further comprises an exit and a spout located at the deep region. Water falls between adjacent planks and into the body, where it then flows towards the deep end. After reaching the deep region, the water flows out of the exit and spout and away from the area beneath the deck.
The various embodiments of the present invention greatly reduces, and may even prevent, moisture collection on the inside of and the underside of a deck during a rainstorm, minimizing, delaying, or even preventing rotting of the component wood. Moreover, the various embodiments of the present invention direct water away from the area beneath the deck to a more desirable location, allowing the area beneath the deck to remain dry. At least one embodiment of the deck protection system, which includes one or more deck protection components, is generally less expensive, provides more efficient and effective protection, and is easier to install than known prior art systems.